alfred tennyson-第25节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


And　Arthur　deign'd　not　use　of　word　or　sword；
But　let　the　drunkard；　as　he　stretch'd　from　horse
To　strike　him；　overbalancing　his　bulk；
Down　from　the　causeway　heavily　to　the　swamp
Fall；　as　the　crest　of　some　slow…arching　wave；
Heard　in　dead　night　along　that　table…shore；
Drops　flat；　and　after　the　great　waters　break
Whitening　for　half　a　league；　and　thin　themselves；
Far　over　sands　marbled　with　moon　and　cloud；
From　less　and　less　to　nothing；　thus　he　fell
Head…heavy；　then　the　knights；　who　watch'd　him；　roar'd
And　shouted　and　leapt　down　upon　the　fall'n；
There　trampled　out　his　face　from　being　known；
And　sank　his　head　in　mire；　and　slimed　themselves：
Nor　heard　the　King　for　their　own　cries；　but　sprang
Thro'　open　doors；　and　swording　right　and　left
Men；　women；　on　their　sodden　faces；　hurl'd
The　tables　over　and　the　wines；　and　slew
Till　all　the　rafters　rang　with　woman…yells；
And　all　the　pavement　stream'd　with　massacre：
Then；　echoing　yell　with　yell；　they　fired　the　tower；
Which　half　that　autumn　night；　like　the　live　North；
Red…pulsing　up　thro'　Alioth　and　Alcor；
Made　all　above　it；　and　a　hundred　meres
About　it；　as　the　water　Moab　saw
Come　round　by　the　East；　and　out　beyond　them　flush'd
The　long　low　dune；　and　lazy…plunging　sea。〃


Guinevere　is　one　of　the　greatest　of　the　Idylls。　　Malory　makes
Lancelot　more　sympathetic；　his　fight；　unarmed；　in　Guinevere's
chamber；　against　the　felon　knights；　is　one　of　his　most　spirited
scenes。　　Tennyson　omits　this；　and　omits　all　the　unpardonable
behaviour　of　Arthur　as　narrated　in　Malory。　　Critics　have　usually
condemned　the　last　parting　of　Guinevere　and　Arthur；　because　the　King
doth　preach　too　much　to　an　unhappy　woman　who　has　no　reply。　　The
position　of　Arthur　is　not　easily　redeemable：　　it　is　difficult　to
conceive　that　a　noble　nature　could　be；　or　should　be；　blind　so　long。
He　does　rehabilitate　his　Queen　in　her　own　self…respect；　perhaps；　by
assuring　her　that　he　loves　her　still：…


〃Let　no　man　dream　but　that　I　love　thee　still。〃


Had　he　said　that　one　line　and　no　more；　we　might　have　loved　him
better。　　In　the　Idylls　we　have　not　Malory's　last　meeting　of　Lancelot
and　Guinevere；　one　of　the　scenes　in　which　the　wandering　composite
romance　ends　as　nobly　as　the　Iliad。

The　Passing　of　Arthur；　except　for　a　new　introductory　passage　of　great
beauty　and　appropriateness；　is　the　Morte　d'Arthur；　first　published　in
1842：…


〃So　all　day　long　the　noise　of　battle　roll'd
Among　the　mountains　by　the　winter　sea。〃


The　year　has　run　its　course；　spring；　summer；　gloomy　autumn；　and　dies
in　the　mist　of　Arthur's　last　wintry　battle　in　the　west　…


〃And　the　new　sun　rose；　bringing　the　new　year。〃


The　splendid　and　sombre　procession　has　passed；　leaving　us　to　muse　as
to　how　far　the　poet　has　fulfilled　his　own　ideal。　　There　could　be　no
new　epic：　　he　gave　a　chain　of　heroic　Idylls。　　An　epic　there　could　not
be；　for　the　Iliad　and　Odyssey　have　each　a　unity　of　theme；　a　narrative
compressed　into　a　few　days　in　the　former；　in　the　latter　into　forty
days　of　time。　　The　tragedy　of　Arthur's　reign　could　not　so　be
condensed；　and　Tennyson　chose　the　only　feasible　plan。　　He　has　left　a
work；　not　absolutely　perfect；　indeed；　but　such　as　he　conceived；　after
many　tentative　essays；　and　such　as　he　desired　to　achieve。　　His　fame
may　not　rest　chiefly　on　the　Idylls；　but　they　form　one　of　the　fairest
jewels　in　the　crown　that　shines　with　unnumbered　gems；　each　with　its
own　glory。



CHAPTER　VIII。ENOCH　ARDEN。　　THE　DRAMAS。



The　success　of　the　first　volume　of　the　Idylls　recompensed　the　poet
for　the　slings　and　arrows　that　gave　Maud　a　hostile　welcome。　　His　next
publication　was　the　beautiful　Tithonus；　a　fit　pendant　to　the　Ulysses；
and　composed　about　the　same　date　（1833…35）。　　〃A　quarter　of　a　century
ago；〃　Tennyson　dates　it；　writing　in　1860　to　the　Duke　of　Argyll。　　He
had　found　it　when　〃ferreting　among　my　old　books；〃　he　said；　in　search
of　something　for　Thackeray；　who　was　establishing　the　Cornhill
Magazine。　　What　must　the　wealth　of　the　poet　have　been；　who；
possessing　Tithonus　in　his　portfolio；　did　not　take　the　trouble　to
insert　it　in　the　volumes　of　1842！　　Nobody　knows　how　many　poems　of
Tennyson's　never　even　saw　pen　and　ink；　being　composed　unwritten；　and
forgotten。　　At　this　time　we　find　him　recommending　Mr　Browning's　Men
and　Women　to　the　Duke；　who；　like　many　Tennysonians；　does　not　seem　to
have　been　a　ready　convert　to　his　great　contemporary。　　The　Duke　and
Duchess　urged　the　Laureate　to　attempt　the　topic　of　the　Holy　Grail；
but　he　was　not　in　the　mood。　　Indeed　the　vision　of　the　Grail　in　the
early　Sir　Galahad　is　doubtless　happier　than　the　allegorical　handling
of　a　theme　so　obscure；　remote；　and　difficult；　in　the　Idylls。　　He
wrote　his　Boadicea；　a　piece　magnificent　in　itself；　but　of　difficult
popular　access；　owing　to　the　metrical　experiment。

In　the　autumn　of　1860　he　revisited　Cornwall　with　F。　T。　Palgrave；　Mr
Val　Prinsep；　and　Mr　Holman　Hunt。　　They　walked　in　the　rain；　saw
Tintagel　and　the　Scilly　Isles；　and　were　feted　by　an　enthusiastic
captain　of　a　little　river　steamer；　who　was　more　interested　in　〃Mr
Tinman　and　Mr　Pancake〃　than　the　Celtic　boatman　of　Ardtornish。　　The
winter　was　passed　at　Farringford；　and　the　Northern　Farmer　was　written
there；　a　Lincolnshire　reminiscence；　in　the　February　of　1861。　　In
autumn　the　Pyrenees　were　visited　by　Tennyson　in　company　with　Arthur
Clough　and　Mr　Dakyns　of　Clifton　College。　　At　Cauteretz　in　August；　and
among　memories　of　the　old　tour　with　Arthur　Hallam；　was　written　All
along　the　Valley。　　The　ways；　however；　in　Auvergne　were　〃foul；〃　and
the　diet　〃unhappy。〃　　The　dedication　of　the　Idylls　was　written　on　the
death　of　the　Prince　Consort　in　December；　and　in　January　1862　the　Ode
for　the　opening　of　an　exhibition。　　The　poet　was　busy　with　his
〃Fisherman；〃　Enoch　Arden。　　The　volume　was　published　in　1864；　and　Lord
Tennyson　says　it　has　been；　next　to　In　Memoriam；　the　most　popular　of
his　father's　works。　　One　would　have　expected　the　one　volume
containing　the　poems　up　to　1842　to　hold　that　place。　　The　new　book；
however；　mainly　dealt　with　English；　contemporary；　and　domestic
themes〃the　poetry　of　the　affections。〃　　An　old　woman；　a　district
visitor　reported；　regarded　Enoch　Arden　as　〃more　beautiful〃　than　the
other　tracts　which　were　read　to　her。　　It　is　indeed　a　tender　and
touching　tale；　based　on　a　folk…story　which　Tennyson　found　current　in
Brittany　as　well　as　in　England。　　Nor　is　the　unseen　and　unknown
landscape　of　the　tropic　isle　less　happily　created　by　the　poet's
imagination　than　the　familiar　English　cliffs　and　hazel　copses：…


　　　〃The　mountain　wooded　to　the　peak；　the　lawns
And　winding　glades　high　up　like　ways　to　Heaven；
The　slender　coco's　drooping　crown　of　plumes；
The　lightning　flash　of　insect　and　of　bird；
The　lustre　of　the　long　convolvuluses
That　coil'd　around　the　stately　stems；　and　ran
Ev'n　to　the　limit　of　the　land；　the　glows
And　glories　of　the　broad　belt　of　the　world；
All　these　he　saw；　but　what　he　fain　had　seen
He　could　not　see；　the　kindly　human　face；
Nor　ever　hear　a　kindly　voice；　but　heard
The　myriad　shriek　of　wheeling　ocean…fowl；
The　league…long　roller　thundering　on　the　reef；
The　moving　whisper　of　huge　trees　that　branch'd
And　blossom'd　in　the　zenith；　or　the　sweep
Of　some　precipitous　rivulet　to　the　wave；
As　down　the　shore　he　ranged；　or　all　day　long
Sat　often　in　the　seaward…gazing　gorge；
A　shipwreck'd　sailor；　waiting　for　a　sail：
No　sail　from　day　to　day；　but　every　day
The　sunrise　broken　into　scarlet　shafts
Among　the　palms　and　ferns　and　precipices；
The　blaze　upon　the　waters　to　the　east；
The　blaze　upon　his　island　overhead；
The　blaze　upon　the　waters　to　the　west；
Then　the　great　stars　that　globed　themselves　in　Heaven；
The　hollower…bellowing　ocean；　and　again
The　scarlet　shafts　of　sunrisebut　no　sail。〃


Aylmer's　Field　somewhat　recalls　the　burden　of　Maud；　the　curse　of
purse…proud　wealth；　but　is　too　gloomy　to　be　a　fair　specimen　of
Tennyson's　art。　　In　Sea　Dreams　（first　published　in　1860）　the　awful
vision　of　crumbling　faiths　is　somewhat　out　of　harmony　with　its
environment：…


　　　〃But　round　the　North；　a　light；
A　belt；　it　seem'd；　of　luminous　vapour；　lay；
And　ever　in　it　a　low　musical　note
Swell'd　up　and　died；　and；　as　it　swell'd；　a　ridge
Of　breaker　issued　from　the　belt；　and　still
Grew　with　the　growing　note；　and　when　the　note
Had　reach'd　a　thunderous　fulness；　on　those　cliffs
Broke；　mixt　with　awful　light　（the　same　as　that
Living　within　the　belt）　whereby　she　saw
That　all　those　lines　of　cliffs　were　cliffs　no　more；
But　huge　cathedral　fronts　of　every　age；
Grave；　florid；　stern；　as　far　as　eye　could　see；
One　after　one：　　and　then　the　great　ridge　drew；
Lessening　to　the　lessening　music；　back；
And　past　into　the　belt　and　swell'd　again
Slowly　to　music：　　ever　when　it　broke
The　statues；　king　or　saint　or　founder　fell；
Then　from　the　gaps　and　chasms　of　ruin　left
Came　men　and　women　in　dark　clusters　round；
Some　crying；　'Set　them　up！　they　shall　not　fall！'
And　others；　'Let　them　lie；　for　they　have　fall'n。'
And　still　they　strove　and　wrangled：　　and　she　grieved
In　her　strange　dream；　she　knew　not　why；　to　find
Their　wildest　wailings　never　out　of　tune
With　that　sweet　note；　and　ever　as　their　shrieks
Ran　highest　up　the　gamut；　that　great　wave
Returning；　while　none　mark'd　it；　on　t